On TikTok, people claim that taking Pepcid AC can ease symptoms associated with premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD

Can Pepcid Ease Severe PMS Symptoms? Experts Weigh In On TikTok Claim Here's what experts think

• A new TikTok trend involves taking Pepcid AC to relieve symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD.
• PMDD can lead to extreme mental symptoms like lasting anger and sadness, as well as typical premenstrual symptoms like bloating and headaches.
• While TikTokers say that Pepcid can alleviate these symptoms, experts said there's little research backing up this claim.

There’s an unexpected solution for severe premenstrual symptoms, according to some TikTok users: taking the common heartburn medication Pepcid AC. 

TikTokers claim that the over-the-counter drug can alleviate symptoms associated with premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD. The condition, which affects up to 8% of women, is a more serious form of PMS involving extreme mental symptoms like lasting anger and bouts of sadness, as well as more typical physical problems, such as bloating and headaches.

Pepcid AC reduces stomach acid, and it’s not approved to relieve premenstrual symptoms.

Yet in one video that has more than 4 million views, TikToker Nina Pool suggests that Pepcid will alleviate PMDD symptoms. “PMDD is a beast,” Pool said. “And if you take [Pepcid AC] once a day during that time—don’t take it all month, you don’t need it all month—this is going to pretty much get rid of it.”

Another person with PMDD said that taking Pepcid AC made them into “a new person” and that they now “feel the same all month.”

While social media creators tout the drug as a miracle cure, you might be curious about what experts think about the suggested treatment. Can a medication designed to reduce stomach acid really help with PMDD? Here’s what to know.

Why Are People With PMDD Turning to Pepcid AC, Anyway?

The trend seems to stem largely from the idea that Pepcid AC can counteract a purported culprit of PMDD: histamine intolerance.

Histamine intolerance is a proposed disorder caused by an inability to break down histamine, which can be found in items like alcohol, salami, and aged cheeses. It’s also produced by mast cells in the immune system when fighting an allergen or infection.

A rise in estrogen, which typically happens a week or so before a person’s period arrives, can also increase histamine levels.

Though “histamine intolerance” is controversial and isn’t widely accepted by the medical community, some laypeople speculate that it can cause gastrointestinal and other symptoms and play a role in certain conditions, such as PMDD. As of now, there’s little research to back that up. Though the cause isn’t fully understood, experts believe the condition could be explained by the body’s response to shifts in hormones, such as serotonin, throughout the menstrual cycle. 

On TikTok, Pepcid AC appears to have emerged as a possible solution to the problem because it suppresses the effects of histamine, blocking the receptors found in the stomach lining.

To this same end, some creators with PMDD say they take antihistamines such as Benadryl or Claritin to alleviate their symptoms. These medications target histamine receptors that produce the symptoms associated with allergic reactions.

Does Pepcid AC Relieve Premenstrual Symptoms?

While TikTokers may swear by Pepcid AC for PMDD, experts said the science doesn’t back up users’ claims.

Fomatadine, the active compound in Pepcid AC, lowers stomach acid production by binding to histamine receptors. This works to prevent or reduce heartburn, which is burning or pain in the chest or throat caused by stomach acid traveling up the esophagus.

But there’s no research showing that Pepcid AC is “effective or worthwhile” for managing PMDD symptoms, Polina Teslyar, MD, the interim division director for women’s mental health and reproductive psychiatry at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, told Health.

There’s also no evidence that histamine levels influence PMDD symptoms, she added. Social media users are jumping to conclusions, she said. “They may be right, but we don’t know.”

Courtney Jackson Blair, MD, a board-certified allergist and immunologist in private practice in northern Virginia, agreed that there’s little research into the connection between histamine and the condition. “I am not aware of any allergy literature discussing…the role of mast cells in relationship to [PMDD],” she said. 

That said, Pepcid AC is generally safe—and if it eases your symptoms, Teslyar said that taking it for about a week each month is “probably not going to hurt." However, the medication does have known side effects, such as headaches, dizziness, and constipation, and she recommends that people interested in trying Pepcid for PMDD consult a doctor beforehand.

What Do Experts Suggest for PMDD Relief?

“From a psychiatric medication, the gold standard treatment for PMDD is an SSRI,” or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, Teslyar said. Unlike those suffering from regular generalized anxiety and major depressive disorder, Teslyar says PMDD sufferers can take a low-dose SSRI just the week before their period, “and it’s still effective.” That’s because the SSRI is interacting not with the serotonin receptors in your brain but with the estrogen, she explained.

Your doctor may also suggest over-the-counter pain relievers such as aspirin or prescription birth control pills containing drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol to elevate mood and ease some physical symptoms. There’s some evidence that acupuncture can also help, Teslyar said. 

Finally, people may see some relief by tweaking their lifestyle habits. Some research shows that increasing exercise or adding more protein and carbohydrates—while decreasing their intake of sugar, salt, caffeine, and alcohol—can alleviate some symptoms. 

Edited by Health with a background in health, science, and investigative reporting. Previously, she wrote full time about parenting issues for the app Parent Lab. Before that, she worked as a reporter for National Geographic covering wildlife crime and exploitation." tabindex="0" data-inline-tooltip="true"> Jani Hall Jani Hall Jani Hall is a news editor for Health with a background in health, science, and investigative reporting. Previously, she wrote full time about parenting issues for the app Parent Lab. Before that, she worked as a reporter for National Geographic covering wildlife crime and exploitation. learn more

This story originally appeared on: Health News - Author:Cari Shane